Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Reader mode
Dear reader! Whether you are new here, archive-reading and whatnot, or you are already someone who has been with us for quite a while, I would like to say a few words that I believe are best kept close to mind.

-This is an MLP quest. And more importantly, none of us are gratuitously cruel. So good things will happen on this quest, and I hope that enough good things have already happened to prove that.
-This is also a horror quest, so bad things will happen. Bad things might happen to good characters if you are not able to protect them, and you most certainly will not be able to intervene if you lack the tools to do so.
-And finally, this is a quest in which you jostle with powers greater than yourself, with all that it entails.

Please, do keep those things in mind as you go forward. But ultimately, this is also a quest in which it is hoped we all have fun! So if any of the above points is not exactly your cup of tea, or somehow make the experience as a whole "not worth it", then this quest might not be for you. Which is fine! Individual tastes are a thing, so don't think any more about it if you don't want to read anymore. And regardless, I hope you have a lovely day!

Kaelor said:
PSA for whoever needs to hear it:

Readers should take their own mental health into consideration when voting and not subject themselves to triggering narrative elements like rape or constant mental torture of a friend just for the Greatest Good of a world that doesn't exist.

If those are fine for you or Regrettable is even more triggering, then GREAT! More power to you. But you aren't a bad or selfish person for picking the option that keeps the characters you've emotionally connected with safe. [REDACTED for spoiler warning]

This is a high intensity quest that doesn't hold back when it comes to horror and negative consequences. Take care of yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
(Quote slightly edited to avoid spoilers)
 
Last edited:
Aranfan said:
@Pittauro why did you Funny my post? It wasn't a joke.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Because I find the idea of using our foul-mouthed demi-goddess as a cleaning maid VERY funny, regardless of her suitability, and you should too :p


More seriously though, I think risen followed by servants would be enough.
Skelm said:
Might I suggest a compromise? Attempt the Ruined Church if we reach the end of the turn without any Wounds or Maluses, otherwise explore the Woods.

I believe the proposal is that Velvet Axe's action is the Canterlot Expedition. We can take her as a follower on another Expedition without loosing her action, I don't see any reason Canterlot Expedition should be special in that regard.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


I'm fine with the compromise if necessary, and fair point on the expedition
 
Alex Sol said:
Plus we can help with her career later by asking Cadance to wear her dresses.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Royal Favor is Magic :V

Bakkasama said:
So the way I see it, either we find a way to fit healing Twilight into this turn or we accept that she will likely be crippled forever and Rarity will remain leashed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
As a very small caveat though, you are leashing Rarity because "Twilight is kidnapped and she's not doing anything about it". As SOON as you get Twilight to safety, you can un-Leash her.
However, if Rarity finds an issue with another new thing, such as "Twilight is telling to everypony within earshot that you knew she was kidnapped and didn't do anything about it", then you'd best keep the Leash to help Rarity with the new mental gymnastic she will have to do.
To be determined, though. But it is possible to un-Leash Rarity even if Twilight remains horn-broken.

Bakkasama said:
Could we ask uncle Steppes for help getting someplace out of the way to perform the ritual? Like, does our family has holding near Manehattan or in the way from there tonPonyville?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'd rather you look for your ritual infrastructure in a place where you have easy and cheap access, rather than in another town.

Pittauro said:
@BirdBodhisattva could we use Windy's house for our rituals once he leaves town? or Starry's, if we can find it?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not really. Or rather, there would be no need.

Think that you need a "small space" for a one-circle, a "large room" for a two-circle, and a "hall" for a three-circle. You already have up to two-circle space in Jade's house, so you're really hurting for a place to cast summoning rituals undisturbed. In fact, you could even cast them in your own home's main hall, for example, but it's better if you use a handy farm barn, since they are slightly easier to clean up after and a bit more isolated.

Greymere said:
Edit: Also, by the way @BirdBodhisattva, part of Rarity's Lies section describes her as our husband :V
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
A typo I'll certainly forget to remove, then :V

Aranfan said:
We could have her clean Jade's house?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
SNAKE MAID

SNAKE MAID

SNAKE MAID

Greymere said:
@BirdBodhisattva can you confirm whether or not sending Velvet Axe to clear the Canterlot expedition on her own would prevent her from coming on the Twilight one?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Huh, good min-maxing actually.

If accompanying you to Twilight's rescue is a "free action", then she can indeed do something else even if it's an expedition.

It fits mechanically, because rules. And it fits narratively, because the Very Important expeditions I place at the end of the turn, but Velvet Axe being Velvet Axe can certainly go to another expedition at the opening of the month, then return in time to accompany you on yours. (As LONG, again, as you scout Twilight's rescue and make it a one-week affair).

Good fit. It also very nicely satisfies Axe's wanderlust.



Aye, caught up.
 
Last edited:
BirdBodhisattva said:
(As LONG, again, as you scout Twilight's rescue and make it a one-week affair).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
At worst we'll have to go by ourself (or with Rarity), and our status as Made of Lore Bullshit hasn't changed :V

In all seriousness though, if Axe could solo-clear the Jailbreak, we probably could too. We may not have a +50 to expedition rolls, but we do have Knock + Moth + Secret Histories 4 (plus all the other Lores being 3+).
 
Greymere said:
At worst we'll have to go by ourself (or with Rarity), and our status as Made of Lore Bullshit hasn't changed :V

In all seriousness though, if Axe could solo-clear the Jailbreak, we probably could too. We may not have a +50 to expedition rolls, but we do have Knock + Moth + Secret Histories 4 (plus all the other Lores being 3+).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
…God, Velvet really is bullshit. We do, in fact, outweigh the entire Inner Circle and then some with our four Level Fours, and five Level Threes. Almost half of which are right on the edge of Four, too. One Edge and one Lantern, and we'll be three quarters of the way to All-4, and we've got the books to put Forge on the Edge too.

Here's hoping we get a bunch of Grail scraps from the Mansus and Influence as well. That would be fun.
 
Ericwinter said:
…God, Velvet really is bullshit. We do, in fact, outweigh the entire Inner Circle and then some with our four Level Fours, and five Level Threes. Almost half of which are right on the edge of Four, too. One Edge and one Lantern, and we'll be three quarters of the way to All-4, and we've got the books to put Forge on the Edge too.

Here's hoping we get a bunch of Grail scraps from the Mansus and Influence as well. That would be fun.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It wasn't even that long ago that we got All-3! We hit it during Turn 13.
 
Aren't we being a little too risk adverse with the healing ritual? A Forge 3 reagent already gives us over 70% success rate.

Edit: for Forge. I forgot to account for grail.
 
Bakkasama said:
Aren't we being a little too risk adverse with the healing ritual? A Forge 3 reagent already gives us over 70% success rate.

Edit: for Forge. I forgot to account for grail.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
...oh right, we get +74, not +64, with a Reagent. That gets us to a 63% chance overall. The issue is that failing the Ritual can cause physical injuries. For a target that may already be badly hurt, that could outright kill her.
 
Bakkasama said:
Aren't we being a little too risk adverse with the healing ritual? A Forge 3 reagent already gives us over 70% success rate.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
A quarter chance of fucking Twilight up even worse when she's already been kidnapped and had her life force fed on, her horn broken off, and then whatever the hell else they did to her in her imprisonment. Even if she still somehow has two health and it isn't in danger of killing her, I don't particularly feel like rolling those dice on an almost certainly traumatized pony.

It would honestly probably be more unethical to put her through a highly theoretical and dangerous procedure that can possibly be done in the future. Not to mention if it does go wrong it will almost certainly destroy whatever trust we earned from freeing her, and make absolutely certain that she knows we have the spooky magic.
 
I wonder if we'll be able to borrow a Heart artifact from Celestia's vaults in a few turns... She was willing to give us one outright a while back, just borrowing one for long enough to restore Luna might be possible.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Borrowed the Crystal Heart for a bit. Will explain later.

Your faithful servant,
Velvet Covers
 
Skelm said:
I wonder if we'll be able to borrow a Heart artifact from Celestia's vaults in a few turns... She was willing to give us one outright a while back, just borrowing one for long enough to restore Luna might be possible.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Borrowed the Crystal Heart for a bit. Will explain later.

Your faithful servant,
Velvet Covers
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean, if we earn enough favor, we could maybe get one outright. Or get one from an expedition, who knows. Velvet Axe is useful like that.

It's a shame we probably can't get one of the Alicorns in on the ritual, themselves. Cadence holding a Level Five Heart Artifact and a Level One Edge reagent could probably guaruntee that shit. Celestia probably doesn't even need that, if her magic is at all better than Luna's would have been without the scarring. Which, given she's a thousand+ years older and just being her student gave Twilight some massive buffs, it probably is. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Celestia could near guarantee the ritual all by herself.

…I really want an Alicorn Confidante. They would be so fucking useful.
 
Weird thought can we just have our servants grab books from the Public library and return it end of turn? I mean no one is there in the public library managing the rental system since Twilight is you know kaput, and I sincerely doubt anyone keeps records that deep about the books. Also it is a public library, so it is completely legal to just grab a few books and return them end of turn.
 
reborn214 said:
Weird thought can we just have our servants grab books from the Public library and return it end of turn? I mean no one is there in the public library managing the rental system since Twilight is you know kaput, and I sincerely doubt anyone keeps records that deep about the books. Also it is a public library, so it is completely legal to just grab a few books and return them end of turn.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It also isn't getting any new arrivals, and I doubt there's any usable books there, To say nothing of having to read them that turn.
Aranfan said:
We need to put one social action on Celestia and Cadance each turn once we have our new job. It will also hopefully help make it so when they find out about our role in... everything... it won't end up with us as a pile of ash!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Hopefully. And hopefully Selene's process to become Luna ends well too.
 
I am glad to be doing something for Soft Sweeps. She could really use it.

I'm probably not gonna be around as much as I usually am? At least not for a while.

Edit:
Do you guys wanna ask our uncle for something?

I'm not sure what it would be or anything, but just floating it.

We would probably have to pay him back later, but... it's up to you guys.
 
Last edited:
zxzx24 said:
Do you guys wanna ask our uncle for something?

I'm not sure what it would be or anything, but just floating it.

We would probably have to pay him back later, but... it's up to you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I can't really think of anything tbh. Plus with the whole Thing with the noble patents going down, I dunno if he'd even have the time available to do anything really significant.
 
Skelm said:
And don't forget they get two actions per turn!

I am personally 👀 at the implication that there are general rules for Alicorn Confidantes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
To be fair, starting in Canterlot would have given us a lot more contact with them—and as major canon characters with clear power there was always going to be an interest in getting them on side—so it makes sense to have the generalities worked out. And with there only being a few, specifics are easy to work out as well.
 
Greymere said:
In all seriousness though, if Axe could solo-clear the Jailbreak, we probably could too.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Debatable. You haven't been to an expedition thats longer than a week (Selene's expedition was really easy-level) and this expedition is technically just "a week and a half" in length.

Also, I'm looking at that "Frightened" trait right there. Combat is a thing you know?
 
You know, thinking on it, I'm kind of amused at how ironic the Master's orders were this turn.

A large part of why Velvet has trouble is that she can't trust others to, as Bird has said "get it right". Not necessarily, mind, because they're simply incapable of making the correct choices at any time, but because they lack all of Velvet's knowledge. Nobody else is made of bullshit Lores, nobody else has such an intimate knowledge of the Master's power or understanding of just how much they don't know, and nobody else has seen the things she has. Walked the Dreamlands, danced past Worms and held audience with the Wolf, crossed the Tribal Door and seen the edge of the Blank Plains. Nobody else.

But, and here's the real irony, but, because she can't trust anybody, because they can't make those certain decisions when she would need them to, she also can't start sharing that information so people could. Hence the Master's orders. So much knowledge locked up inside our head, so many secrets. It's about time she started to share.

Velvet hasn't taught anybody anything with the sole exception of Selene, and most of those lessons were without even her notice. She's made a few observations, left some breadcrumbs behind in her own studies, even sometimes prompted others to learn on their own. But Velvet does not teach. And so, there is never anybody who can learn all the things they would need to be trusted with the fate of the world.

…And I only just realized this could be taken as a campaign for the teaching actions, but honestly I hadn't even thought about that until the end. Huh.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Back
Top